Andhra political chaos: 92 legislators, many MPs to quit
By IANSThursday, December 10, 2009
HYDERABAD - A day after the central government agreed to the formation of a separate Telangana state, Andhra Pradesh plunged into political chaos Thursday with at least 92 legislators and several MPs from other regions of the state resigning or threatening to quit to protest the “unilateral” decision to divide the state.
As many as 39 legislators of the ruling Congress, 38 of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 15 of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) have sent in their resignations to assembly speaker.
At least 36 members of the legislative council belonging to the Congress and the TDP have also resigned.
The Congress MP from Vijayawada, L. Rajagopal, was the first to send his resignation. Another MP, R. Sambasiva Rao, has also resigned. At least two other Congress MPs have also offered to quit.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called an emergency meeting of party MPs from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in New Delhi Thursday evening, party sources said here.
Many legislators, who either resigned or offered to resign, said they did not want to support the resolution to be tabled in the assembly for formation of Telangana state.
Former minister and senior legislator J.C. Diwakar Reddy of the Congress was the first among legislators to resign.
In his letter to Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy, he said the resignation was in protest of the division of the state. Diwakar Reddy hails from Rayalaseema region.
Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, who come from Andhra region, said the resignations of legislators were true to “some extent” but did not give the numbers.
Advising legislators and MPs not to get agitated, he tried to allay their apprehension that the state would be divided.
He said the resolution on Telangana would be moved only after evolving consensus.
TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who hails from Rayalaseema, blamed the Congress for the crisis and said it took a unilateral decision without consultations with other parties on forming Telangana state.
